I.Ancient Greece
A. Plato: · Ancient Greek philosopher in the fourth century BCE. · Launched western aesthetic thought. (What is beauty?) · Believed:
Works of art should mimic reality and that nature sets the standard of truth and beauty.
Art is an imitation of reality, therefore never be as good or as meaningful as the real thing.
Intelligent person should strive to fully understand the eternal world of the soul.
Artists must be censored and controlled because of their power to influence social attitudes and behavior.
· Favored realistic art. The more realistic a work of art, the greater its appeal. · Art: tool that can be used to promote non-artistic purposes. · Good art: promote morally good behavior and show how to live harmoniously. (Set foundation of what is beautiful is also morally good)
B. Aristotle: · Plato’s student at the School of Athens. · Disagreed with Plato in the issue of Art.
Agreed that art is artificial but said that it could be classified and judged according to its physical attributes in much the same way as natural objects or species.
Argued that art should be free of censorship, independent and autonomous.
1st champion of the principle of art for art’s sake.
Taking a detached aesthetic interest in an art object, without considering its political or moral qualities.
II.Golden Age (China and India)
A. Kongfuzi (551-479BCE) – “Confucius” · Believed:
Art- especially poetry- stimulated the mind and taught important social rules.
Beauty and harmony result from following the rules of propriety.
B.Peri Hupsous(On the Sublime)- author: unknown Greek writer- A public speaking manual. Introduced the idea that the sublime has great emotional power, yet may be neither logical nor beautiful.
Ability to appreciate the sublime is a unique characteristic of humans.
Asked whether artistic creativity can be taught, and if so, how.
III.European Renaissance (1350-1550)
A. The idea that artists have special talents emerged.
B. Before this time, artists were considered on the same social level as slaves, serfs, and peasants.
C. Changes:
Artistic mastery became to be seen as an important element in judging the merit of works of art.
The more difficult a work to create, the more valuable.
Michelangelo & da Vinci were seen as geniuses.
Poetry, painting, acting, building, dancing, and music = fine arts.
IV.17th century (changes direction of aesthetics)
A. René Descartes · French philosopher- changed the direction of aesthetics, from investigating beautiful object to investigating the mind that perceived it. · “Beauty Pleases” · NEW idea: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. V.18th century (aesthetics began to emerge as a separate area of philosophy)
A. Alexander Baumgarten (German philosopher)- credited with distinguishing aesthetics and giving its name. · Aesthetica- 2 ways of knowing:
Cognitive (based on reason), analytical, and logical.
More intuitive, sensuous, and emotional.
· Defined aesthetic as the science of sensitive knowing, maintaining that this way of knowing is completely autonomous. · Aesthetics does not deal with the nature of social effects of art; rather it is a science that focuses on understanding people’s intuitive, sensuous, and emotional ways of knowing.
B. 2 questions dominated: What is taste? What is an aesthetic experience? · Taste: refers to a person’s ability to recognize the aesthetic features of an object.
Challenge: balancing what you like against what others consider good art.
C. David Hume · Scottish philosopher · Argued that principles of taste are universal · Essay: “Of the Standard of Taste”- (says that even though principles are universal, only few are qualified to give judgment on any work of art) · Q: If universal standards of taste exist, why are there differences of opinion over what constitutes good art?
Different point of view arise because:
1. People may lack the delicacy of imagination to make accurate judgments
2. They may be influenced by their own prejudices.
D. Immanuel Kant- German philosopher · The Critique of Judgment: (2 important concepts)
1. Theory of taste
2. Aesthetic experience (identified the pleasure-that comes from a kind of free play of understanding and imagination- felt when making a judgment of taste). · Art is autonomous, or independent. · Aesthetic judgments should exclude the subject matter of the work & sense qualities. · Art must NOT be judged in relation to anything other than itself and its own form (formal properties that make an artwork a poem, novel, painting, building or piece of music.)à Laid groundwork for formalist movement. · Supporters: focused on form and how people experience it.
VI.19th Century
A. Georg W.F. Hegel (German philosopher) · Everything in the world progresses 3 stages (repeats):
1. Thesis: idea or a historical movement.
2. Antithesis: a conflicting idea or movement that develops in reaction to the thesis.
3. Synthesis: resolves the conflict between thesis and antithesis by reconciling the truth found in both. And this becomes a NEW thesis. · Art as the thesis, and early stage in the development of human thought. · Antithesis of art is religion- expresses ideas as images or symbols. · Philosophy is the synthesis that reconciles art and religion through pure thought. · Messages of art clear until work is complete. · Creating art 2 stages:
1. Creating an image of the work in the mind’s eye of the artist.
2. The artist’s creation of the physical manifestation of this image. · Supporters: emphasized the meaning and interpretation of the ideas expressed in art.
B. Friedrich Nietzsche- German philosopher · Brilliant writer- often used vivid images to persuade other to look at things in a new way. · His books are considered works of art. (Human, All Too Human) · Art is the real expression of truth. · Art transforms life by providing people with a powerful, life-affirming view of the world. · Believed: rational philosophy and Christianity had combined to crush people’s zest for lie. · Supported Plato’s idea that passion and reason, art and philosophy are ALWAYS in conflict.
(Plato: chose reason and philosophy; Nietzsche chose passion and art.)
C. John Dewey · Influence in education · Rejected belief that knowledge consists of impersonal, unquestionable well-established facts · People acquired knowledge by participating in its creation: “learning by doing” · Art enables people to express hopes, dreams and important things to them · Art becomes meaningful only when experienced by an audience, then becomes work of art
VII.18th, 19th, 20th century ideas gave rise to Modernism
A. Modernism: attempts to define nature of the aesthetic experience · Works of art are successful when they create a sense of unity · Works of art are autonomous and pure
VIII.Modernism gives way to post-modernism
A. Post modernists reject what modernists have to say
B. Post modernist Arthur Danto: · Art is dead · From Plato to camera creation, humans create art that represented the world · Art styles came and went; philosophers tried to keep up by creating new definitions of art · Artists hence became philosophers and art became attempt of artist to understand themselves · So, artists can create whatever they want without adhering to ideas of what art should be.
What Philosophers Have Said?
I. Ancient Greece
A. Plato:
· Ancient Greek philosopher in the fourth century BCE.
· Launched western aesthetic thought. (What is beauty?)
· Believed:
- Works of art should mimic reality and that nature sets the standard of truth and beauty.
- Art is an imitation of reality, therefore never be as good or as meaningful as the real thing.
- Intelligent person should strive to fully understand the eternal world of the soul.
- Artists must be censored and controlled because of their power to influence social attitudes and behavior.
· Favored realistic art. The more realistic a work of art, the greater its appeal.· Art: tool that can be used to promote non-artistic purposes.
· Good art: promote morally good behavior and show how to live harmoniously. (Set foundation of what is beautiful is also morally good)
B. Aristotle:
· Plato’s student at the School of Athens.
· Disagreed with Plato in the issue of Art.
- Agreed that art is artificial but said that it could be classified and judged according to its physical attributes in much the same way as natural objects or species.
- Argued that art should be free of censorship, independent and autonomous.
- 1st champion of the principle of art for art’s sake.
- Taking a detached aesthetic interest in an art object, without considering its political or moral qualities.
II. Golden Age (China and India)A. Kongfuzi (551-479 BCE) – “Confucius”
· Believed:
- Art- especially poetry- stimulated the mind and taught important social rules.
- Beauty and harmony result from following the rules of propriety.
B. Peri Hupsous(On the Sublime)- author: unknown Greek writer- A public speaking manual. Introduced the idea that the sublime has great emotional power, yet may be neither logical nor beautiful.- Ability to appreciate the sublime is a unique characteristic of humans.
- Asked whether artistic creativity can be taught, and if so, how.
III. European Renaissance (1350-1550)A. The idea that artists have special talents emerged.
B. Before this time, artists were considered on the same social level as slaves, serfs, and peasants.
C. Changes:
- Artistic mastery became to be seen as an important element in judging the merit of works of art.
- The more difficult a work to create, the more valuable.
- Michelangelo & da Vinci were seen as geniuses.
- Poetry, painting, acting, building, dancing, and music = fine arts.
IV. 17th century (changes direction of aesthetics)A. René Descartes
· French philosopher- changed the direction of aesthetics, from investigating beautiful object to investigating the mind that perceived it.
· “Beauty Pleases”
· NEW idea: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
V. 18th century (aesthetics began to emerge as a separate area of philosophy)
A. Alexander Baumgarten (German philosopher)- credited with distinguishing aesthetics and giving its name.
· Aesthetica- 2 ways of knowing:
- Cognitive (based on reason), analytical, and logical.
- More intuitive, sensuous, and emotional.
· Defined aesthetic as the science of sensitive knowing, maintaining that this way of knowing is completely autonomous.· Aesthetics does not deal with the nature of social effects of art; rather it is a science that focuses on understanding people’s intuitive, sensuous, and emotional ways of knowing.
B. 2 questions dominated: What is taste? What is an aesthetic experience?
· Taste: refers to a person’s ability to recognize the aesthetic features of an object.
- Challenge: balancing what you like against what others consider good art.
C. David Hume· Scottish philosopher
· Argued that principles of taste are universal
· Essay: “Of the Standard of Taste”- (says that even though principles are universal, only few are qualified to give judgment on any work of art)
· Q: If universal standards of taste exist, why are there differences of opinion over what constitutes good art?
- Different point of view arise because:
1. People may lack the delicacy of imagination to make accurate judgments2. They may be influenced by their own prejudices.
D. Immanuel Kant- German philosopher
· The Critique of Judgment: (2 important concepts)
1. Theory of taste
2. Aesthetic experience (identified the pleasure-that comes from a kind of free play of understanding and imagination- felt when making a judgment of taste).
· Art is autonomous, or independent.
· Aesthetic judgments should exclude the subject matter of the work & sense qualities.
· Art must NOT be judged in relation to anything other than itself and its own form (formal properties that make an artwork a poem, novel, painting, building or piece of music.)à Laid groundwork for formalist movement.
· Supporters: focused on form and how people experience it.
VI. 19th Century
A. Georg W.F. Hegel (German philosopher)
· Everything in the world progresses 3 stages (repeats):
1. Thesis: idea or a historical movement.
2. Antithesis: a conflicting idea or movement that develops in reaction to the thesis.
3. Synthesis: resolves the conflict between thesis and antithesis by reconciling the truth found in both. And this becomes a NEW thesis.
· Art as the thesis, and early stage in the development of human thought.
· Antithesis of art is religion- expresses ideas as images or symbols.
· Philosophy is the synthesis that reconciles art and religion through pure thought.
· Messages of art clear until work is complete.
· Creating art 2 stages:
1. Creating an image of the work in the mind’s eye of the artist.
2. The artist’s creation of the physical manifestation of this image.
· Supporters: emphasized the meaning and interpretation of the ideas expressed in art.
B. Friedrich Nietzsche- German philosopher
· Brilliant writer- often used vivid images to persuade other to look at things in a new way.
· His books are considered works of art. (Human, All Too Human)
· Art is the real expression of truth.
· Art transforms life by providing people with a powerful, life-affirming view of the world.
· Believed: rational philosophy and Christianity had combined to crush people’s zest for lie.
· Supported Plato’s idea that passion and reason, art and philosophy are ALWAYS in conflict.
(Plato: chose reason and philosophy; Nietzsche chose passion and art.)
C. John Dewey
· Influence in education
· Rejected belief that knowledge consists of impersonal, unquestionable well-established facts
· People acquired knowledge by participating in its creation: “learning by doing”
· Art enables people to express hopes, dreams and important things to them
· Art becomes meaningful only when experienced by an audience, then becomes work of art
VII. 18th, 19th, 20th century ideas gave rise to Modernism
A. Modernism: attempts to define nature of the aesthetic experience
· Works of art are successful when they create a sense of unity
· Works of art are autonomous and pure
VIII. Modernism gives way to post-modernism
A. Post modernists reject what modernists have to say
B. Post modernist Arthur Danto:
· Art is dead
· From Plato to camera creation, humans create art that represented the world
· Art styles came and went; philosophers tried to keep up by creating new definitions of art
· Artists hence became philosophers and art became attempt of artist to understand themselves
· So, artists can create whatever they want without adhering to ideas of what art should be.